by Andy Eyschen The 3rd Morocco Liberty Camp, jointly organized by Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), Language of Liberty Institute (LLI), and Chantier de Citoyennete (CDC) took place from 22 to 25 April 2019 at the same place as the first two in the beach resort town of Bouznika, half-way between the capital Rabat and the largest city Casablanca. The number of students this year was lower than usual at 16 due to exam times, 15 were from Morocco and one was from Congo Brazzaville, doing an Entrepreneurship course at a Moroccan University. The program this year focused mainly on “Liberal Values” and the political spectrum, plus Free Market Economics. FNF was represented by its Program Director for Senegal, Daouda Seck and its local coordinator Chaimae Bourjij. Country Manager Olaf Kellerhoff dropped by for a brief visit. LLI was represented by Andy Eyschen and CDC by Oussama Benhmida. The movie John Q, starring Denzel Washington, was screened to prompt a discussion on universal health care and how it should be financed.Most of the lectures were presented in French with the exception of the 4 LLI lectures done in English. A joint presentation on the political spectrum was done by Andy and Daouda and students were asked to identify the political values of various well-known political parties and pin them on a chart from extreme right to extreme left on the spectrum. While the majority of students had not been previously exposed to classical liberalism, they all appreciated the idea of personal, political and economic freedoms and were highly skeptical of those exercising political power in Morocco today, making the link between power and corruption, not even excluding royalty, a controversial and potentially dangerous opinion to have in a country like Morocco. The quality of the students was above average despite the …
Apply now for Freedom Week!
We’re excited to announce that students can now apply for Freedom Week: an annual, one-week seminar in August on classical liberal and free market thinking, held by the Adam Smith Institute and the Institute of Economic Affairs, in the University of Cambridge. Freedom Week is completely free–with food, accommodation, tuition and materials all covered–and is aimed at students who are interested, but relatively new to, classical liberal ideas. Freedom Week-ers spend the week immersed in talks from some of Britain’s leading liberal thinkers. But Freedom Week isn’t only about hearing from best of classical liberal academia, it’s also about spending time with dozens of like-minded people who share an interest in economics, political science, history and more. Find out more and apply! https://www.freedom-week.org/apply
Cycle Freedom Entrepreneurial Camp, August 25–29, Vilnius area, Lithuania
By Vadim Fiddle and Lobo Tiggre For generations, young people have been given one formula for success: “Study hard, get good grades, go to the best university, and by hook or by crook, get a well-paying corporate gig that will set you up for life.” If this formula ever worked, it’s broken now. Millions of young people have learned the hard way that universities provide little of the practical knowledge required for success — or even getting a job — in the ever-changing, just-in-time global economy. There is no such thing as a job security. The “lucky ones” who get positions with the big corporations quickly learn that this is a modern form of serfdom. They often feel alienated and frustrated, without any “skin in the game” giving them a piece of the brighter future. Add to this mix increasing levels of automation, which is eliminating hundreds of millions of jobs around the world — and with AI help, it’s not just unskilled labor. So, what should young people do? Despair? Not at all! Remember the process economists call “creative destruction.” Yes, the old way of doing things is dying, but new ways are being born. Innovation is creating millions of new professions, spearheaded by this wonderful group of people called entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is hard work, but it gives people the chance to create whatever life they want. Entrepreneurs don’t wait for permission to live their dreams — they do it! Just look at Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, as two examples of what’s possible. And entrepreneurship offers a critical key to health, not just wealth: the ability to choose who you work with. Ultimately, entrepreneurship is a path — arguably the best path — for achieving purpose and personal freedom in life. On August 25–29, we will be conducting Cycle Freedom Entrepreneurial camp in Lithuania. OUR VISION: We see the entrepreneurial …
Adventures in Uganda
By Marina Brierley Last February I had the privilege of attending a Liberty and Entrepreneurship camp in Uganda. Such an inspirational event – to meet so many ambitious, thoughtful young people interested and hungry for the ideas of Liberty. Many were from the University of Kisubi, near Kampala, where the event was held, but some from other Universities and a few even came from Kenya. Mugabi John Socrates (from ALED – Action for Liberty and Economic Development) and Adedayo Thomas were our dedicated hosts and organisers. The Vice Chancellor welcomed us warmly, sympathetic to the ideas of freedom and prosperity that seemed to be popular in this successful private university. The theme of the ‘camp’ was “Free Enterprise and Morality” – so vital to show that there is an inherent link between both concepts. Talks by Andy on ‘Why freedom? Principles of the Free market’, ‘10 technologies that will change the world’ and ‘Essentials of Entrepreneurship’ were enthusiastically received. Adedayo spoke on ‘The Foundations of Africa’s Economy and political freedom’ with considerable passion and flair. I contributed with a talk on ‘Education in the developing world’ which led to some discussion on the situation in Uganda and concluded with a talk on ‘Human Progress’ showing the amazing achievements that have been accomplished in the world where-ever and whenever free trade and entrepreneurship were allowed to flourish. Travelling around the country in the days prior to the camp (through Kampala and to Northern Uganda for a safari I could not resist) I had observed the land and its people. A congenial climate, fertile soil, in parts lush natural habitat but above all, a young, aspiring population eager to make their mark in the world. So much raw potential! Through discussion with new friends I learned that many had long since …
Announcing the Inaugural South East Asia Students For Liberty Conference!
Having had tremendous success across the globe, Students For Liberty first dropped anchor in South East Asia in 2015. After a year of inspiring, motivating, and educating students, the time and opportunity is now here for our first South East Asia Conference. This is a huge opportunity for SFL Indonesia in the current phase of their movement. They started small (with less than three Charter Team members) and now have over 20 students working to put this conference together. Sessions aim to give attendees a deeper understanding of the ideas of liberty. They are also focused on training attendees to be more effective advocates of liberty. We have put together a distinguished roster of speakers who have, in various ways, helped advance the vision of a free and prosperous society. These role models will inspire you, influence your ideas, and potentially become your mentors moving forward. The goal of this conference is to bring students from all over South East Asia to exchange their experiences, learn the ideas of liberty and energize their leadership of the pro-liberty movement in South East Asia. This event will be a massive celebration of freedom. Featured Speakers Tom G. Palmer Tom Palmer is the executive vice president for international programs at the Atlas Network and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and director of Cato University. He received his doctorate in politics from Oxford University. He frequently lectures in North America, Europe, Eurasia, Africa, Latin America, India, Asia, and the Middle East on political science, public choice, civil society, and the moral, legal, and historical foundations of individual rights. He has published reviews and articles on politics and morality in scholarly journals such as the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, as well as in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and …
CYCLE 2015
Are you joining us at the CYCLE 2015 free online conference? CYCLE 2015 is hosted by our friends at Liberty.me, and the participation is completely free of any charge or cost, and fully accessible to anyone in the world who can access the internet and wants to learn. Our goal is to help young people of all ages achieve success in their lives as well as to become creative forces for good in our world. Visit CYCLE 15 for this year’s program and registration details. Speakers and topics are still being finalized, but here are some of the great teachers we’ve already got lined up: Doug Casey: Best-selling author, world-famous investor, co-founder of Casey Research. Doug Casey is the original “International Man,” a pioneer in the field of minimizing loss of freedom through international diversification—of self as well as assets. Rick Rule: Billionaire entrepreneur and investor. Rick is one of the sharpest businessmen we know, having created or invested in hundreds, if not thousands of new ventures, amassing huge fortunes along the way—twice. T.K. Coleman: Philosopher, writer, lecturer, entrepreneur, and life coach. T.K. is the Education Director for Praxis, an experience-based alternative to traditional business school, and he blogs daily on self-determinism, creativity, and philosophy at tkcoleman.com. Lobo Tiggre: CYCLE founder, author, entrepreneur, investor, youth counselor. “Papa Lobo” has inspired hundreds of students over the years, many of whom have gone on to create companies of their own or find success in other walks of Life. Tom Palmer: Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, director of Cato University, Vice President for International Programs at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, VP of the Atlas Network. Tom is one smart guy, and an inspiring speaker. Jeffrey Tucker: CEO of Liberty.me, previously editor of Mises.org, adjunct scholar of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy …
Liberty Entrepreneurship Camp in India
This report is posted by Venkatesh Geriti This is Venkatesh Geriti, Founder and C.E.O of India’s Future Foundation, a free market educational foundation who mission is to educate, train and connect young people who believe ideas of free markets, entrepreneurship and limited government. I had great days during this summer with lot of libertarian programs such as Foundation for Economic education summer seminars, the independent institute’s challenge of liberty seminars, Acton University in USA, International Society for Individual Liberty World Conference on Market Liberalization in Bail and Liberty Entrepreneurship Camp by our organization. This is best and most productive libertarian summer in my life and I was happy to end it with our first Liberty Entrepreneurship Camp successfully in Vishakhapatnam, India from 8th July – 12th July 2015. Liberty Entrepreneurship Camp is a five day workshop promoting the moral and ethical dimensions of entrepreneurship and educating young people about economic freedom, free markets and classical liberal ideas. The liberty camp was jointly organized by India’s Future foundation and the Language of Liberty Institute (USA) in Vizag, India from 8th to 12th July 2015 with 30 students. The main purpose of this program is to help young people explore alternative ideas for existing problems; to help young people understand the value of entrepreneurship, free markets and limited government. Language of Liberty Institute speakers who had great experiences within economics, business, entrepreneurship and politics and introduced the principles of classical liberalism, free and competitive markets to participants. Local Indian speakers who are experts in ideas of free market in local context explained the need for free market ideas. The Camp combined lectures, discussions and workshops as speakers presented various topics such as the roots of classical liberalism. The first day we started with an introduction of the liberty camp and the activities of Language of Liberty Institute and …
RESEARCHING REALITY INTERNSHIP 2015
Researching Reality Internship in New Delhi is for college students and researchers who wish to apply social and economic principles to real-life problems through in-depth research projects. It provides interns with valuable training in areas of research, analysis, writing, and above all critical thinking. For more information, click here. The internship is open during a summer and also a non-summer period. “CCS gave me a golden opportunity to work on ‘Business Planning for Schools’. In the process, I gained knowledge on current system of setting up and operating a school in Delhi. I met such amazing people and gathered a lot of information from them, both related to my project as well as general economics. I have realized that researching, conducting a survey/field work is no child’s play. I am grateful to CCS for this eye-opening and learning experience.” Mallika Chawla Intern, 2006 “It is wonderful to see the youth participate in such programs. Let me know what you are looking forward to in the next couple of years because it will be of great help to me. Encouragement is what I get when I know there are people interested and thinking about better governance.” Shiela Dikshit, Hon’ Chief Minister of Delhi at a special meeting with CCS interns, 18 May 2009 “The internship introduced me to the field of policy research and the structure of the program where every intern is assigned a guide was wonderful. The entire CCS teams, co-interns and others provided a lively respectful and friendly environment to work in and was a great learning experience. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.” Vrinda Aggarwal Summer Internship Researching Reality summer internship is a fulltime internship that spans a course of two-months between May and July. The summer internship is open to up to 25 …
Language of Liberty’s Brazil Tour Continues
For the first weekend seminar the Brazil Liberty Team returned to Porto Alegre for the third consecutive time, where we were joined by Roberto Rachewsky of the Millennium Institute, Diogo Costa of Ibmec and University of Iceland professor Hannes Gissurarson. The event was hosted by Instituto de Estudos em Gestão Empresarial (IEGE) and organized by Clube Miss Rand, a student group started as late as last January that already attracts more than 40 liberty enthusiasts to their weekly meetings. With topics ranging from the importance of language to education and economic freedom, and from the drug war to entrepreneurship and how modern technology can advance the cause of liberty, the presentations were very well received. They also stimulated lively discussions with all attendees after the speeches and during the breaks. The seminar brought together a truly international team of speakers from different backgrounds, so that everyone in the audience likely could identify with at least one of them and their passions. We hope to be back again! The last weekend of May brought the expanded Brazil Liberty Team to Curitiba, capital and largest city of the state of Paraná. The seventh largest city of Brazil, Curitiba is home to 1.8 million people and over 3 million in the wider metropolitan area. In 2009 Reader’s Digest named Curitiba the best city to live in Brazil. The city’s modern transportation system, buildings and shopping streets give it quite a European feel. The seminar was organized by the local student group Grupo de Estudos Liberalismo e Democracia (GELD), which started last September with Saturday morning meetings and just four people in attendance, yet now has some forty members and continues to grow. Diogo Costa was not with us for this event but the audience was treated to his Ibmec colleague Adriano Gianturco’s insights …
Truant in America
Have you ever heard of anybody who never went to school? No, I don’t mean ‘home schooled’. I’m talking about no school at all. No curriculum. No home school course. No online accredited program. Never went to Kindergarten, or any other grade. In America, that is rare, because education is compulsory. Kids are forced by law to go to school. Christian’s mom learned that lesson well. She said when Christian was six years old, “They came out with a police officer, and wanted to inspect the home environment. We eventually moved out of the state because of it . . . because they wanted him to be tested, and they wanted this, and that . . .” “They were going to get him?” I asked. “Yeah. They were going to reel him into the system. I said, ‘That’s not happening!’” The family fled to Hawaii, where it was easier to hide a kid from the truancy laws. After all, how could anyone distinguish a truant kid from a tourist kid? It was the perfect plan. “My parents were upfront with me,” Christian said, “It’s like, ‘You’re supposed to be in school. But we’re not going to make you do it. So, if you don’t want to school, you should keep your mouth shut about it.’” Christian Regan, now 22 years old, has never gone to school in his life. Yet, you would never know by meeting him. He reads more than most adults. Christian’s dad said, “He basically taught himself how to read. There was no ‘A is Ahh, B is Buhh’. We would just read books to him. He’d watch us reading him books, and before long, he was reading them instead of us.” Christian learned to read and write when he was only five years old. “I remember …